It Was Never Between Us and Them Anyway: Finding True Acceptance In An Egocentric World

Published December 31, 2015

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

It was never between you and them anyway…Wow. And for all my days, I have mostly lived for the approval of others, thinking that my awesomeness would gain me acceptance in such a dark, egocentric world. How foolish of me.

Recently, my feelings were dragged under when my efforts were dismissed by someone I had been striving to impress. The work and time I had invested to develop a professional respect with this individual was completely ignored, resulting in asking questions like “Do I not measure up?” and “Why are my efforts going unnoticed?”

It was never between you and them anyway…

You see, I tend to forget that at the end of this life, the only thing that will last for eternity is what was between me and God. Did I love others with the heart of Jesus? Was each day focused on bringing hope and life to the world around me, or was I focused on my own selfish desires? Was truth really what I desired, or was I just telling myself feel-good bubble gum devoid of truth and substance? Did the pursuit of the heart of God consume me, or was I too in love with my own wicked self?

What if we began to seek the acceptance of our Daddy, rather than the acceptance of an arrogant, selfish, and depraved humanity?

Believe in Jesus or don’t believe in Jesus; it’s your decision. But I must remind you: Jesus came and died a bloody death to bring us back to himself; the world could care less about anyone but themselves. Let’s be honest: we normally could care less about anyone but ourselves, as well. We’re all sick and evil. Blunt, I know, but I believe it to be true.

God cares for us because He created us and He died for us to redeem our filthy, rebellious hearts. If humanity would turn its back on such a good God, trust me, they will turn their backs on you. We will turn our backs on others. Jesus was massacred for our rebellion, turning his back to the lashes and inhumanity that we deserved. No other “god”, religion, or theory can claim such a sacrifice. He was either a lunatic or he was the Son of God, nothing in-between.

It was never between you and them anyway…

We are already invited into acceptance from God because of Jesus. As we live our lives each day, the ambition we hold dear should have NOTHING to do with the approval of others and EVERYTHING to do with our gratitude for such a good Daddy.

In who and what are you trying to find acceptance and affirmation? What do you think will be the result when they do give you acceptance? What will you gain? Is it even worth the striving, or is it simply chasing after the wind?

Seek the heart of God; I beg of you. At the end of your life, there is no other approval that will last.

Andrew Voigt is a writer and blogger discussing thoughts on God, dreams, and brokenness. He has served as a contributing writer for publications such as Patheos, Fathom Magazine, and Kingdom Spark. Andrew holds a B.S. in Communication Studies from Liberty University and lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and orange cat named Pumpkin.